What is mange?
Updated By PetymFacts checked against official sources on
Quick answer
Mange is skin disease caused by microscopic mites. Sarcoptic mange, or canine scabies, is intensely itchy, spreads easily between dogs and can cause itchy spots on people. Demodectic mange comes from mites that live on every dog's skin, mostly affects young dogs and is not contagious. Both cause hair loss, and a vet's skin test tells them apart.
Also called sarcoptic mange, scabies in dogs, demodectic mange, demodicosis, demodex, red mange.
Key facts
- Sarcoptic mange is highly contagious and the most itchy skin disease of dogs. Tropical Council for Companion Animal Parasites
- Sarcoptic mites do not survive long off the dog, so they spread mainly by direct contact between animals. Tropical Council for Companion Animal Parasites
- People and other animals in contact with a dog with sarcoptic mange may also become infected. Merck Veterinary Manual
- Demodex mites live in small numbers on the skin of all dogs; puppies pick them up from their mother while nursing. Companion Animal Parasite Council
- Canine demodectic mange is not contagious to people. Companion Animal Parasite Council
- Demodicosis is the most common skin disease of young dogs, between 3 and 6 months old. Tropical Council for Companion Animal Parasites
What is the difference between sarcoptic and demodectic mange?
Two different mites, two very different diseases. Only a vet's skin scraping or hair test confirms which.
| Sarcoptic mange (scabies) | Demodectic mange (demodicosis) | |
|---|---|---|
| Itch Merck Veterinary Manual | Intense itching that comes on suddenly | Mild or absent in the localised form |
| Where it starts Merck Veterinary Manual | Ear edges and elbows are favourite starting places; also belly, chest and legs | One to five small patches (localised), or the whole body (generalised) |
| Contagious? Companion Animal Parasite Council | Yes, between dogs, and it can cause itchy spots on people | No; the mites are normal skin residents |
| Who gets it Merck Veterinary Manual | Any dog in contact with an infected dog, including community dogs | Localised form usually in dogs under 1 year; adult-onset generalised form often linked to another illness |
| Other dogs at home Tropical Council for Companion Animal Parasites | All in-contact dogs should be treated | No need to treat in-contact dogs |
Why is mange so common in India?
Sarcoptic mites spread mainly by direct contact, and India has many community dogs that share streets and housing society grounds with pets and rarely see a vet. A pet dog that plays closely with an itchy, untreated dog can catch it (Petym's reading of the guidelines for Indian streets).
Demodectic mange has nothing to do with contact. It appears when a young dog's immune system does not yet keep its own skin mites in check, which is why it shows up in puppies and adolescents. A severe, whole-body form is serious and needs a vet's care.
How is mange treated?
A vet confirms the mite with skin scrapings and sometimes other tests; for sarcoptic mange the mites can be hard to find, so a trial of treatment is used when the signs fit. Treatment uses anti-parasite medicines your vet chooses, often with treatment of any skin infection. For sarcoptic mange, all dogs in contact with the affected dog should be treated, and bedding washed.
Treatment may be medicated shampoos, dips or prescription medicines. Do not use engine oil, kerosene or other home remedies on a dog's skin; ask your vet instead. Petym does not name medicines or doses.
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Questions owners ask
Can humans get mange from dogs?
- Sarcoptic mange, yes: the Merck Veterinary Manual notes that people in contact with an infected dog may also become infected, usually with itchy spots. See your doctor if you develop a rash, and ask your vet how to avoid catching it while the dog is treated. Demodectic mange in dogs does not spread to people.
Is demodectic mange contagious to other dogs?
- No. Demodex mites live in small numbers on the skin of every dog, picked up from the mother in the first days of life. Mange develops when a dog's immune system does not keep them in check, so other dogs in the home do not need treatment for it.
What does mange look like on a dog?
- Sarcoptic mange causes sudden, intense scratching, red skin, crusts and hair loss, often starting on the ear edges, elbows, belly and legs. Localised demodectic mange causes one to five small patches of hair loss in a young dog, with little itch. A vet's skin test tells them apart.
Can my dog catch mange from a street dog?
- Sarcoptic mange, yes: it spreads mainly by direct contact, and community dogs with untreated scabies can pass it to a pet dog during play. Keep your dog from close contact with itchy dogs, and see a vet if your dog starts scratching hard, especially at the ear edges and elbows.
Keep reading
Related terms
More in vaccines and parasites
- BabesiosisBabesiosis is a disease of dogs caused by Babesia, tiny parasites that live in and destroy red blood cells. It is spread mainly by ticks, and in India one species, Babesia gibsoni, also spreads through dog fights and blood transfusions. Signs are anaemia with pale gums, weakness, jaundice and red or brown urine. Dogs that recover can relapse.
- Booster vaccineA booster is a repeat dose of a vaccine that tops up or confirms a pet's protection. Puppies and kittens get a booster at about 26 weeks after their first course. After that, modern core vaccines for distemper, parvovirus and panleukopenia protect for years, while leptospirosis, kennel cough and most killed vaccines need a booster every year.
- Brown dog tickThe brown dog tick, Rhipicephalus sanguineus, is the most common tick on dogs in the tropics, including India. Unlike most ticks it lives and breeds indoors, in homes and kennels, as well as outdoors. It spreads ehrlichiosis and one form of babesiosis, the infections Indian owners call tick fever, so tick control is needed all year.
- Core vaccinesCore vaccines are the vaccines every dog or cat should have, wherever it lives, because they protect against widespread, serious diseases. For dogs they cover distemper, adenovirus and parvovirus; for cats, panleukopenia, herpesvirus and calicivirus. In India rabies is core for both, and WSAVA also treats leptospirosis vaccine as core for dogs where the disease is endemic.
- DewormingDeworming is giving a pet medicine, chosen by your vet, to kill intestinal worms such as roundworms, hookworms and tapeworms. Puppies can be born with roundworms and catch more from their mother's milk, so deworming starts in the first weeks of life. Some dog and cat worms can infect people, especially children, so regular deworming protects the family too.
- DHPPi vaccineDHPPi is the combined core vaccine for dogs printed on many Indian vaccine cards. The letters stand for distemper (D), hepatitis from canine adenovirus (H), parvovirus (P) and parainfluenza (Pi). DHPPiL adds leptospirosis (L). It is the same vaccine group that US cards call DHPP or DA2PP, and puppies start it at 6 to 8 weeks.
- EhrlichiosisEhrlichiosis is a disease of dogs caused by Ehrlichia canis, a bacterium carried by the brown dog tick. Signs appear 1 to 3 weeks after infection: fever, dullness, bleeding such as nosebleeds or bruising, and enlarged lymph nodes. Some dogs seem to recover but carry the infection silently and later develop a severe chronic form.
- Flea and tick preventionFlea and tick prevention means regularly protecting a pet from these parasites with a product your vet recommends, plus checking the coat and treating the home. Tropical guidelines say dogs and cats in places like India should be protected all year, including indoor pets. Use products licensed for the species, and never put a dog product on a cat.
- FleasFleas are small, wingless, blood-feeding insects. The cat flea, Ctenocephalides felis, is the most common flea on dogs and cats worldwide, and the main flea on dogs studied in India. Fleas cause itching, flea allergy, tapeworm and, in heavy infestations, anaemia in puppies and kittens. Most of the flea life cycle happens in the home.
- FVRCP vaccineFVRCP is the core combined vaccine for cats. It protects against feline viral rhinotracheitis (herpesvirus), calicivirus and panleukopenia. Indian cards often show a brand name from the vial sticker instead, such as Tricat. Kittens start at 6 to 8 weeks, with doses every 2 to 4 weeks until 16 weeks or older, then a booster at about 26 weeks.
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Sources
Each source was opened and read on the date shown. How Petym checks its sources
- Tropical Council for Companion Animal Parasites: Guidelines for the control of ectoparasites of dogs and cats in the tropics (2022) (opens in a new tab)
- Merck Veterinary Manual: Mite infestation (mange, acariasis, scabies) in dogs (opens in a new tab)
- Companion Animal Parasite Council: Demodex spp. (opens in a new tab)
- European Scientific Counsel Companion Animal Parasites (ESCCAP): GL3: control of ectoparasites in dogs and cats (7th edition, 2022) (opens in a new tab)